Irish general election, 1961
The Irish general election of 1961 was held on October 4, 1961, just over three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on September 8. The newly elected members of the 17th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on October 11 when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed.
The general election took place in 38 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Republic of Ireland for 144 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann which had been reduced in size by three seats.
Campaign
The general election of 1961 saw the three main parties being led by three new leaders. Seán Lemass had taken charge of Fianna Fáil in 1959. It was also the first time Fianna Fáil faced a general election campaign without Éamon de Valera. James Dillon took over at Fine Gael in 1959 also, while the Labour Party was now under the stewardship of Brendan Corish.
While the election was caused by the "crisis" surrounding Ireland's application for membership of the European Economic Community and various other international affairs, little attention was paid to these matters during the campaign. While the 1961 general election has become known as the dullest campaign on record, with the most important issue being the teaching of the Irish language in schools. Fianna Fáil were fighting the election on their record in government and a reforming theme, Fine Gael presented itself as the party of free enterprise. The Labour Party campaigned strongly against the "conservative" Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael parties. It also favoured major expansion in the public sector.
Result
| 17th Irish General Election – October 4, 1961 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Leader | # of Seats |
Gains/ Losses |
% of Dáil |
% of Votes |
|
| Fianna Fáil | Seán Lemass | 70 | -8 | 48.6 | 43.8 | |
| Fine Gael | James Dillon | 47 | +7 | 32.6 | 32.0 | |
| Labour Party | Brendan Corish | 15 | +4 | 10.4 | 11.6 | |
| Clann na Talmhan | Joseph Blowick | 2 | -1 | 1.4 | 1.5 | |
| National Progressive Democrats | Noel Browne | 2 | +2 | 1.4 | ||
| Clann na Poblachta | Seán MacBride[1] | 1 | +0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | |
| Sinn Féin | Pádraig Mac Lógáin | 0 | -4 | 0.0 | 3.1 | |
| Independents/Others | 6 | -3 | 4.2 | |||
| Ceann Comhairle (Speaker) | 1 | - | 0.7 | - | ||
| Totals | 144 | -3 | 100.0 | 100.0 | ||
| Fianna Fáil minority government formed. | ||||||
The opposition parties gained ground on Fianna Fáil, while Sinn Féin failed to defend the four seats it had won in the previous election.
First time TDs
- Mark Clinton
- George Colley
- Patrick Connor
- Brian Lenihan
- Tom O'Donnell
- Seán Treacy
- Séamus Pattison
- Lorcan Allen
By-election
Retiring TDs
Footnotes
- ^ After the election, while Seán MacBride was leader of Clann na Poblachta, Joseph Barron became leader and the sole member of the parliamentary party.
See also
Irish general elections  |
|---|
| 1918 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1927 (Jun) | 1927 (Sep) | 1932 | 1933 | 1937 | 1938 | 1943 | 1944 | 1948 | 1951 | 1954 | 1957 | 1961 | 1965 | 1969 | 1973 | 1977 | 1981 | 1982 (Feb) | 1982 (Nov) | 1987 | 1989 | 1992 | 1997 | 2002 | 2007 | By-elections |
|
Irish presidential elections |
| 1938* | 1945 |
1952* | 1959 | 1966 |
1973 | 1974* | 1976* |
1983* | 1990 | 1997 |
2004* *Uncontested |
|
Irish referendums |
| 1937 | 1959 | 1968 | 1972 (May) | 1972 (Dec) | 1979 | 1983 | 1984 | 1986 | 1987 | 1992 (Jun) | 1992 (Nov) | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2001 | 2002 (Mar) | 2002 (Oct) | 2004 |
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